One of the most important things that government does in a democracy is to
develop public policies in response to societal problems. Indeed the open and
deliberate process of policymaking is a hallmark of a democratic society. Yet we
have questions about how government responds, how it is that a decision is
made to pursue one purposive course of action over another. Part of the answer
to such questions is that what government decides to do, which purposive course
of action it decides to pursue, is in part a function of how a particular problem
gets defined. This factor is more significant than one might assume. As the
chapters in this book reveal, in policyrnaking there is little about the process of
problem definition that is self-evident, automatic, or eminently rational.
Problems lend themselves to diverse definitions, only some of which are
compelling enough to evoke formal policy responses.

This book is about how policy gets made and the role of policy ideas in the
policymaking process. A policy idea is a concept designed to capture the essence
of both a general definition of a problem and a preferred policy response. A
policy idea captures that critical nexus between the definition of a problem and
the formulation of a policy response which anticipates resolution of the problem
via its implementation. When proffered in a policy debate, policy ideas capture
the policymaking process whole -- from identification of a societal problem to its
resolution -- and frame that process ( Reich 1988).

Questions regarding the utility and fate of policy ideas are only part of the
focus in this book. The assessments in the two case studies are intended to
illuminate other questions pertinent to policy formulation, such as (1) how
problems or issues get defined in the policy debate; (2) how policy responses
emerge as solutions to specific definitions of problems; (3) how specific policy
ideas structure the policy debate and under what circumstances; and (4) how bias
mobilizes in favor of or against a particular policy idea.

Print this page

While we understand printed pages are helpful to our users, this limitation is necessary
to help protect our publishers' copyrighted material and prevent its unlawful distribution.
We are sorry for any inconvenience.